ISABELA | Our Lady of the Pillar Parish
As I laid eyes upon the church facade of Our Lady of the Pillar, it was indeed almost the same as the one in Alicia.
Cauayan City
A van stopped in front of me as the driver rolled down his windows at the passenger side yelling “TUGE!! TUGE!!”. Waiting time was fast, around five minutes along the other side of the Our Lady of Atocha Parish.
Surely, the town of Alicia is about to start her day immediately. I sat right next to the driver who kept telling others that he will be stopping right in front of DFA Tuguegarao. Paid around 30php and told him to drop me at the church in Cauayan City which he promptly called as “Pilar”
Around 20 minutes passed as we swiftly traversed the Maharlika Highway, he made a right turn upon arrival at Cauayan City. Just a few hundred meters from the intersection is where my second church for the day stood still.
The Coronation
As I laid eyes upon the church facade of Our Lady of the Pillar, it was indeed almost the same as the one in Alicia. Even so, this one has a larger bell tower, and the brick layers looking more weathered than the first one I have visited.
It also has rich ornamentations such as flowers, leaves, sunbursts, ovules embedded together with the bricks. Moreover, the Cagayan Style, which looks more of the Antique Castillan design is prominent in the structure.
The facade is made up of three layers, the base with recessed niches with the patron saints inside. It is separated by several pilasters articulating the extent of the wall.
The third pediment standing out from the rest as it projects seven tower like bricks ending with a circular brick at the upper most portion. It also has a circular recessed window on the pediment that has stained glass installed on it.
In the year 1741, the parish was established by the Spaniards and was named after the Our Lady of the Pillar with it first vicar, Fray Antonio Del Ocampo. Gaddangs, who first inhabited the area, converted their religion to Christianity as time passed by inside this institution whose very location were later named as “Cauayan”.
But what tickled my imagination more is when I set foot inside the old looking church. From the main arched doorway the interiors were loud and looked modern as it contrasted the exteriors. The aisle and the ceiling was surprisingly long enough, with a hundred pews organized at both sides.
But what is more attention grabbing is the majestic fresco at the other end above the altar, ‘The Coronation Of The Blessed Virgin Mary’ and I must say that it is one of the most beautiful frescoes I have laid eyes upon to date.
I offered a prayer again, and stayed for a while admiring the beauty of the church. Also, I was already famished, but I dismissed it and pushed forward to the next city where the provincial capitol is.
How to Get There
- Cauayan City is the business hub of the province of Isabela, 400 kilometers north of Manila
- From Manila, take any bus bound for Tuguegarao or Cauayan via Victory Liner or Five Star Bus. (Travel time: 6-7 hours depending on traffic conditions, Fare: 500php airconditioned bus)
- If coming from Tuguegarao, take any bus bound for Manila or UV Express Vans bound for Cauayan or Santiago City
- If coming from Cordon or Santiago City, its is just a few towns away and take any van bound for Cauayan City, the church is just along the highway
- Nearest airport is inside the city, flight takes 1hr and 10mins, Cebu Pacific flies regularly to Cauayan City
2018 Biyaheng Norte Solo Backpacking Adventure – Isabela
